Tao boat from Taiwan reaches Batanes, revives ancient sea route

ITBAYAT, Batanes — The “Golden Friendship,” a traditional indigenous boat of the Tao people of Lanyu (Orchid Island), sailed into the Mahatao Shelter Port in Mahatao, Batanes, at around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The vessel, carrying a 20-member crew, departed Lanyu—an island located about 90 kilometers southeast of Taiwan—on Sunday, June 14, and completed the historic sea voyage across the Bashi Channel.

READ: Austronesian boat sets sail on epic voyage from Taiwan to Philippines

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Former Itbayat councilor Zenas Labrador and Municipal Local Government Operations Officer Chairmaine Gato-de Sagon, who visited Lanyu in October last year, had already seen the traditional wooden boat, known as a tatala among the Tao people and tataya among the Ivatan people of Batanes.

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According to Siyaman Lamuran, one of the Tao community leaders interviewed during their visit, the Tao and Ivatan peoples share deep kinship ties, common seafaring traditions, and closely related languages.

Beyond strengthening cultural and personal connections, the voyage seeks to retrace and revive ancient maritime routes linking Lanyu and Batanes. Organizers said these traditional sea passages, once used regularly by their ancestors, have largely lain dormant for about 300 years./coa

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